Arrogate works five furlongs for yet-to-be-determined next start

Arrogate, the best horse in the world, worked a sharp five furlongs in 59 seconds on Tuesday morning at Santa Anita. Trainer Bob Baffert said Arrogate's next start has yet to be determined, but conceded, "We've got a week to figure out what to do."

Baffert has always said that the final call on plans for Arrogate are made by Prince Khalid Abdullah of owner Juddmonte Farms and his United States-based manager, Garrett O'Rourke. Their main goal for the year, as stated after Arrogate won the Pegasus World Cup last month at Gulfstream, is a defense of the Breeders' Cup Classic title. The Breeders' Cup Classic is run this year at Del Mar on Nov. 4.

The question now seems whether to go to the Dubai World Cup on March 25 and then have a rest, or run in something like the Santa Anita Handicap on March 11 and have a strictly U.S.-based campaign this year, or simply take time off, though the way Arrogate is training it seems a race is well within his scope right now.

"He was just galloping," Baffert said. "He cruised around there, five-eighths from the half-mile pole.

"Everything's good. He just galloped around there. He never took a deep breath."

Martin Garcia, per usual, was up for the work. Mike Smith rides him in races. Arrogate's time was the third-fastest of 44 works at the distance.

Arrogate, last year's champion 3-year-old male, has won the Pegasus World Cup, Breeders' Cup Classic, and Travers in his last three starts.